We all have paths that take us through our commutes and daily lives, and Iím particularly fond of the path that took me home from my retail store in Chelsea Market every evening for a year. Leaving the store, I would walk down Ninth Avenue which becomes Hudson and turn left on Bleecker Street, following it until I turned right on Mercer. It cuts through the south of Chelsea, through the Meatpacking District and down to the West Village into Soho. I became enamored with the variety these neighborhoods offer.

As I leave the Eleniís store and Chelsea Market, the first visible business is a lumberyard, which begins the walk that is charmingly full of so many different sides of New York. Looking west, you can see the High Line running for several blocks, the defunct and beautifully rusted elevated train tracks. There is evidence of the recent transition of the Meatpacking ... [more]

Eleni Gianopulos, Eleni's.

Chinatown

Above the Financial District and encroaching on shrinking Little Italy and the Lower East Side is New York Cityís expanding Chinatown--rapidly increasing in both size and population. Chinatown is a wonderful place to meander about. Everyone in your group will notice different things. On a recent visit with my family, my husband noticed that the streets bend, and the buildings bend with them. My older daughter noticed fish and dehydrated things in markets that she wanted to take home and examine under her microscope. And my little one marveled at lots of colorful kitsch: Hello Kitty and others. You can begin your exploration online here or on foot at the intersection of Mott and Canal.